Wilson served on the Camden City Council from 2005-2010 and 1997-2001.

Biography

Wilson earned his A.A.S. in Law/Criminal Justice from Camden County College and his B.A. in Law/Criminal Justice from Rowan University. His professional experience includes working as Officer in the Camden Police Department. Wilson served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force from 1965-69.[2]

Committee assignments

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Wilson served on the following committees:

Consolidating government functions through shared services among municipalities, counties and schools boards.

Adopting reforms that reduce the costs to taxpayers for public employee benefits, including pensions and health care.

Providing quality public schools, in part by forcing tax money to go toward classrooms and school facilities – not toward excessive salaries and perks for administrators.

2011

In an interview with the Gloucester County Times, Gilbert listed his top priorities:

"New Jersey’s unemployment rate is 9.4 percent, our residents are paying the highest property taxes in the nation, and throughout our region families are struggling to make ends meet. With that said, my top three priorities are attracting good paying jobs to our region, ensuring that our residents keep more of what they earn, and providing the police and fire services that will keep them safe in their homes and communities."[4]

Pensions

Double dipping is a term used to describe the practice of allowing government employees to "retire," start collecting a pension and then return to work for the state while continuing to receive pension benefits. It is currently permitted in New Jersey. Banning or limiting double dipping is among the proposals in New Jersey to reduce the state pension obligation. Two companion bills, S601 and A860, were introduced in the 2012-2013 legislative session. As of March 2015 neither has reached the floor for a vote. In July 2013 New Jersey Watchdog published an article focusing on double dipping by New Jersey state legislators. The report identified 18 state lawmakers who receive retirement checks totaling $782,000 a year in addition to their legislative salaries. The roster includes leaders of each party in both the Senate and Assembly.[5]
Wilson was included on the list of legislators currently receiving pension benefits and a legislative salary. According to the 2013 report, Wilson receives a $50,304 pension per year. The employer at retirement was Camden City.[5]

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Wilson is available dating back to 2011. Based on available campaign finance records, Wilson raised a total of $155,986 during that time period. This information was last updated on August 15, 2013.[11]

Scorecards

Legislative scorecards are used to evaluate elected public officials based on voting record. Some scorecards are created by political advocacy groups with a focus on specific issues, while others are developed by newspapers and are broad in scope. Scorecards are meant to be used as a tool for voters to have a quick picture of whether their views align with a particular legislator's record.

Because scorecards can be specific to particular issues or general to a state’s legislative term, for example, each report should be considered on its own merits. Each entity that publishes these reports uses different methodologies and definitions for the terms used.